Risk assessment as a guide for the prevention of cancer-associated thromboembolism

Abstract

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major source of morbidity and mortality among patients diagnosed with cancer. In addition to an increased risk of VTE, patients with cancer are at higher risk of bleeding while receiving therapeutic anticoagulation. Aggressive and targeted thromboprophylaxis is a crucial practice to avoid the dreaded complications of VTE. Risk assessment models (RAM) are tools developed to identify high-risk patients in whom thromboprophylaxis is beneficial. This review describes the most validated VTE RAMs in patients with cancer.